The New Technology That ‘Will Change Your Life’… Or Not Really?

The ‘Next Big Thing’ Syndrome

Every time a new technology shows up, blockchain, RPA, AI, or the latest agentic AI, the same scene plays out. Within days, LinkedIn is full of visionaries and overnight experts explaining to us mere mortals exactly how this “revolutionary” tool will change our lives forever.

They’ll tell you with absolute confidence that it will:

• “free up your time for strategic work,”
• “boost efficiency,” and
• “transform your treasury operations.”

Sounds great, right? Except… it’s all painfully generic. And when you ask “So, how exactly do I implement it?” you usually get either:

• a vague “it depends”
• or a 45-minute speech that magically circles back to “contact us for a demo.”

Why the Hype Keeps Coming Back

It’s not random. The cycle repeats because of three big drivers:

1. The need to look innovative – If you don’t talk about the new buzzword, you look outdated.
2. Aggressive vendor marketing – Quotas to hit, not time to validate if it really fits your process.
3. Corporate FOMO – “Our competitors are trying it, so we have to as well.”

Red Flags That Scream “HYPE”

• Everything is a “game-changer,” yet nobody shows you a working example in your context.
• Benefits are abstract (“more time for strategy”), with zero measurable KPIs.
• Implementations are still pilots — five years later.
• The slides are 80% stock photos, 20% buzzwords, 0% instructions. (Remember the 80/20 rule? Yeah, this is the reverse.)

Treasury Examples Where We’ve Seen This Movie Before

• Blockchain for intercompany payments
  In production at a few major banks (e.g., JPM’s Onyx/JPM Coin) and select corporates.
  Reality: adoption in everyday treasury is rare. For most companies, it’s still pilot territory.

• AI for cash forecasting
  Offered by Kyriba, HighRadius, GTreasury, TIS and others.
  Reality: AI can add real value, but only if your ERP/bank data is clean and integrated. Otherwise, it just produces wrong numbers faster.

• API banking
  A genuine game-changer where available, especially in Europe (thanks to PSD2/Open Banking).
  Vendors like Tink (Visa), Plaid, Salt Edge, and banks’ own APIs provide real-time balances and payments.
  Reality: adoption is growing fast, but coverage is uneven and many banks still limit functionality.

Other Hyped Technologies in Treasury

• RPA (Robotic Process Automation) – Great for repetitive tasks (reconciliation, file uploads). Vendors: UiPath, Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism. But it won’t transform treasury by itself, you need good process design first.
• ISO 20022 migration – Real benefits in structured, richer data (CAMT, PACS, PAIN). Vendors: most TMS (Coupa, Kyriba, FIS Quantum) now support it. But adoption is patchy and corporates face format juggling.
• Digital wallets & instant payments – Expanding globally (Visa Direct, Mastercard Send, SEPA Instant). Still niche for corporate treasury, but useful in specific B2C-heavy industries.
• Data lakes for treasury – Cloud platforms like Azure Data Lake, AWS S3, Snowflake allow powerful analytics. Potential is huge, but governance and integration discipline are critical.

So, What Actually Matters?

Forget the smoke. The real “game-changers” in treasury are not the flashy buzzwords but the foundations that work every single day:

1. Bank Connectivity – via SWIFT, host-to-host, EBICS, or APIs. Vendors: SWIFT Alliance Lite2, Fides, TIS, Coupa, Kyriba.
2. Cash Visibility in Real Time – achieved through APIs or automated statement feeds. Vendors: Tink, Plaid, banks’ native APIs.
3. Data Quality & Centralization – clean data pipelines through Power BI, Snowflake, SAP, Azure Synapse.
4. Workflow Automation – not hype, but practical automation with UiPath, Power Automate, RPA that saves analysts from repetitive hell.

Beyond PowerPoint Smoke

New tech doesn’t automatically change your life. It certainly doesn’t just because someone said so on stage.

The only real “game-changer” is when technology has:

• a clear use case for your process,
• measurable results, and
• a concrete path to implementation.

Blockchain, AI, APIs, RPA — they all have potential. But without clean data and strong workflows, they’re just buzzwords. So next time you hear about the “next big thing,” ask yourself: Do I understand what it actually does? And is my treasury ready for it? 

Because the real transformation doesn’t come from hype. It comes from technology that works for the analyst at 11 PM and the CFO at 9 AM.